Starboard seeks group to form rival Smithfield bidBloombergStarboard Value, an investor in Smithfield Foods, has approached buyout firms and meat processors to encourage them to form a bidding group to derail a Chinese takeover, said two people familiar with the process.

Gutierrez: 40-50 House Republicans will back immigration reformThe HillForty to 50 House Republicans will support immigration reform, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., predicted Thursday. Gutierrez said many of the Republicans supportive of immigration reform don't want to be identified, but he insisted they would support comprehensive immigration reform.

Departure of GOP operatives could imperil debt-limit talksThe Washington PostWith another showdown looming over the national debt, Washington insiders last month received some unsettling news: Rohit Kumar, a Republican aide who has played a key role in warding off disaster, is leaving Capitol Hill.

McConnell stands by campaign managerThe HillSen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated his full support for campaign manager Jesse Benton, despite negative comments Benton made about working with McConnell, with a tongue-in-cheek tweet sent late Thursday.

GMO labeling bill in New Hampshire HouseThe Conway Daily SunA proposed New Hampshire House bill to require labeling of genetically engineered foods is being backed by an organizer of the North Conway Farmers' Market. But a New Hampshire farming organization says GMO labeling belongs at the federal level.

The economics of a higher wage floorThe New York TimesThere have been a number of recent articles and commentaries about daylong strikes by fast food workers demanding higher wages. That has brought out the usual arguments about why we should or shouldn't increase the legal wage floor.

More schools adding local food to menu, curriculumLiving Green MagazineStudents are finding more local food on their lunch trays, more nutrition and agriculture-related topics in their curriculum and more gardens in the schoolyard — thanks, in part, to the Farm to School movement, which gets its own celebratory month in October.

AFL-CIO wins back United Food and Commercial Workers unionThe Wall Street JournalThe United Food and Commercial Workers union is rejoining the AFL-CIO after an eight-year split, a win for AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in his effort to woo back unions that defected to Change to Win, a smaller, rival federation.

Higher beef prices could follow in wake of Tyson's Zilmax banReutersWhen top U.S. meat packer Tyson Foods Inc. abruptly announced it would stop buying cattle fed with a widely used drug that can add more than 30 pounds to the average steer, the implications for markets were clear: less meat, higher prices.

Hartman: US supermarkets are stuck in time warpFood Navigator-USAMany U.S. supermarkets are stuck in a time warp, and their market share will continue to decline unless they make radical strategic changes, according to a provocative new report from Hartman Strategy.

WhiteWave Foods Q2 profit up 18 percentRTT NewsConsumer packaged food and beverage company WhiteWave Foods Co. on Friday reported an 18 percent increase in profit for the second quarter from last year, helped primarily by volume growth across its North America and Europe segments.

Manufacturer bets big on HPP technologyFood Production DailyStakool Inc., best known for offering health and wellness products, is delving into high-pressure food processing and launching a consumer products division.

Wireless technology for food safety monitoringFood Safety MagazineAs a result of FSMA rules, increased importance is being placed on monitoring, record keeping, traceability and verification. Food businesses are being asked to take on more responsibility for understanding potential risks and developing science-based measures to control those risks before a problem occurs.

Long-awaited North Dakota processing plant opensMinot Daily NewsA ceremonial ribbon-cutting was held Thursday morning to officially open United Pulse Trading of Minot, N.D. The $30 million complex will process lentils, chickpeas, dry beans and other pulse crops and is expected to employ 45 people.

DSC plans new logistics center in CaliforniaRefrigerated TransporterSupply chain management company DSC Logistics is building a new Food/CPG Retail Consolidation Logistics Center in Moreno Valley, Calif. Kraft Foods Group will be the first customer in the building, scheduled for a late 2013 opening.

Serving food on heavier plates influences taste perceptionsMiami HeraldPrevious research has demonstrated that the weight of an object or container influences perception. Coffee and creamer served in heavy glass was rated as better tasting than the same coffee in Styrofoam. Heavier plates are also associated with more positive rating of food.

How Kroger turned food waste into warehouse-powering energyGreenBiz.comEvery day, some 300 Ralphs and Food 4 Less grocery stores produce 150 tons of food waste. Until recently, all that food would get trucked to a distribution center in Compton, Calif., where it was combined and sent to a composter 100 miles away.
But now that food waste, which used to represent a cost in terms of both money and emissions, is providing cheap, clean energy for the distribution center.